Pictured: Charlie Papazian, Alan Sprints, and son Isaac Sprints at Homebrew Con 2018.
By Amahl Turczyn
Best known for his strong, four-letter named ales, Alan Sprints practically invented the cult-favorite, limited-edition “white whale” beer at the brewery he founded in Portland, Ore., Hair of the Dog. Adam was perhaps his most famous, inspired by a historical German strong ale called Adambier, which Michael Jackson wrote about in his seminal Beer Companion. Adam was a dark 10% ABV Old Ale with a fierce bitterness of 60 international bitterness units (IBUs), which aged so gracefully, it became much coveted by enthusiasts; no one else at the time of its release in 1994 was making anything like it. Adam was followed in 1997 by Fred, named for another legend of the craft and homebrew world, Portland-based beer historian Fred Eckhardt. Inspired by the Belgian Golden Strong Ale style, Fred was dark gold in color, also 10% ABV, and bottles became even more coveted than Adam.
I remember visiting Sprints at Hair of the Dog in the mid 90s with friends Eckhardt and former Zymurgy editor Jim Parker. They were brewing a batch at the time, and I remember being somewhat awed by the giant chalice-like steam-jacked brew kettle they used. Sprints wanted us to sample old bottles of everything, and he was always so generous with his pours—his enthusiasm for the craft was infectious. Finding his beers at the Burlingame Market and enjoying them at the famous Horse Brass were highlights of any visit to the heady, burgeoning 90s Portland craft beer scene.
Originally from the Los Angeles area, Sprints was first involved with aerospace and music. He was a passionate homebrewer, and settled on a career as a chef before getting a job in 1991 with Widmer Brothers in Portland. He was very active with his local brew club, the Oregon Brew Crew, and soon held the position of club president. After 3 years as a chef and 2 as a professional brewer, he was ready to start his own brewery, and Hair of the Dog opened in 1993 in an industrial area of southeast Portland. Besides recreating historical styles, he was also one of the first to introduce barrel aging, winning accolades from Beer Advocate and Whiskey Advocate. The founder of The Beer Sommelier Matt Simpson recently wrote on Facebook that Sprints “didn’t create the barleywine style—he perfected it. He didn’t invent barrel-aged beers—he curated and melded them like nobody at the time could or would.”
AHA Founding Board member and author Drew Beechum recalls, “He was a homebrewer at heart—always super generous with his time and enthusiasm (and his cellar).”
Beechum’s memories of Sprints were unsurprisingly similar to my own. “The original Hair of the Dog location was in this weird old half broken down warehouse along the river and the train tracks in Portland,” he stated. “And every year before Oregon Brewer’s Fest he would host a private party at the brewery. I found out about it and as an eager, super-new brewer. I wandered around until I stumbled across the brewery (this was before Google Maps, cellphones and a public taproom!) Despite not knowing me from Adam, Sprints welcomed me to his party and to his giant feast. He handled my enthusiastic babble, proudly showed off his 4-barrel steam jacketed kettle that had been used by Campbell’s to boil peas (I think—it was definitely Campbellls). The amusing part was that his beers were so ‘large’ that he had a malt silo sitting right by the pot that absolutely dwarfed the kettle. He laughed at the observation and handed me a glass of the fabled Dave from a secret Golden Gate keg hanging out in the corner.”
As a fellow resident of the Los Angeles area, Beechum also recalls a surprise meeting between Sprints and his own local club during a visit to the Bay Area. “One year the Falcons were in San Francisco celebrating our win as Anchor’s California Homebrew Club of the Year and ended our weekend at the Celebrator Beer News Party at Trumer Brewery in Berkeley. We had a big table and were having a blast when Alan shows up and drops two magnums of Doggie Claws Barleywine as a ‘congratulations’ gift. But what made it epically funny is that every time we drained a bottle, Alan was suddenly back like a mischievously grinning Santa Claus with another pair of magnums.”
Sprints lost a battle with metastatic stage 4 bladder cancer. “Seriously, we lost a hell of a beer lover and educator,” said Beechum. He will be missed by his family, friends, and the homebrewing and craft brewing communities at large.
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